Ethics Investigations Since 2009 — in One Chart

The Office of Congressional Ethics recently released its second-quarter report for 2014, and in the middle is a pie graph that gives congressional nerds some insight into what ethical lapses the OCE has been looking into since its inception.

The chart tracks preliminary investigations conducted by the independent ethics office, and, as the graph illustrates, the plurality of investigations since February 2009 — 46 percent — have involved campaign activities.

The OCE reports it has conducted 137 preliminary investigations since 2009, with 49 of those cases transmitted to the Ethics Committee for review.

In addition to the pie chart, the OCE’s quarterly report also reveals that the Ethics Committee is supposed to name two members under investigation on Friday, though no details of the investigation are expected to be released and the Ethics Committee will likely vote to take an additional 45 days to consider the matter.

The OCE also revealed in the quarterly report it voted to refer an entity to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for failing to register under the Lobbyist Disclosure Act.

Even if they caught a politician with his hand in the till they would manage to cover it up… How do they think these guys become millionaires by the end of their first or second term in office?

Layla

Politicians need to be changed every 2-4 years. The voters are the key. And so is voter education.

http://washingtonspectacle.com Robert Price Rifkin

How about the ethics of paying people a decent wage?

America always prides itself on being a generous country. Americans are
always willing to to do their best when people around the world need help.
We’re the first with supplies and manpower when disasters of all severity and
variety come to foreign lands. Well, http://www.americanspectacle.com
has some news for you. When it comes to helping our own people? Not so much.
The “debate” over raising the minimum wage has taken on a peculiarly
nasty tone of late and Republicans, in particular seem to think that people
should kind of appreciate working for starvation wages in this richest of
nations. Maybe its time to reduce the Congressional pay down to minimum wage
and see how the Representatives and Senators feel about the issue then?

alexwolf

You are talking about a “living wage” for jobs like fast food workers? NO!

1 – Ever hear about something called inflation? You raise he wages, the cost of goods and services rise. Ultimately, the purchasing power of kids and younger to middle-aged adults stays the same and the elderly, typically on fixed incomes, get screwed.

2 – Most of the jobs people cite when talking about a “living wage” are jobs that are NOT meant to support a family: Fast food jobs were, and should be, for teens, young adults and those in-between jobs. NOT a permanent way to support a family. Because some, like yourself, believe that everyone should be able to afford a house / apartment / amenities while permanently stopping their growth at the fast-food level, does not mean that we as a society should endorse (via the “living wage”) a reward system for it. Ever heard of the work ethic? We need to strengthen and support THAT. Rewards for hard work. Rewards for studying in school. Rewards for climbing the ladder (including at fast food establishments).

YES – a manager at a McDonalds should be able to afford an apartment. Presumably he or she has worked up to that position. But not everyone should be handed everything: That is what got us into the last housing bubble.

Robert: People who believe in the things you believe in are what create the nanny-state. And once you allow the state to determine who gets what, you also allow them to take from those who have worked harder. To subsidize those who have not. Do I need to point out how every socialist state that has implemented this type of system is either a marginal state or has failed outright?

I suggest you start studying economics. And not the failed Keynesian branch. Friedman is a good start.

Socialism is Evil. Organized.

Even if it seems unfair that the impersonal nature of the free market determines who gets to try new things, we all benefit where innovations are first tried by others.

Jen Kim

While civilization’s advance mostly depends on the genius, courage, and industry unleashed by liberty, civilization’s decline tends to accelerate under the shackles of centralized restrictions and control.

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